Ex-Shin Bet Chief Bar Sued Netanyahu, But His Own Report Contradicts Claims

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has officially joined the left-wing campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by filing a NIS 3 million lawsuit against him. The lawsuit was reportedly triggered by remarks Netanyahu made on the "Ha'Patriotim" program, where he stated that unlike the left-wing narrative, Bar had not presented him with a warning regarding Gaza.

In his lawsuit, Bar claims that during his tenure, he repeatedly challenged directives from Netanyahu, suggesting a restoration of deterrence and a renewal of targeted assassinations as a stabilizing tool. The lawsuit also asserts that in July 2023, a yearly planning discussion summary was presented to the Prime Minister, warning that Hamas was consolidating its rule, strengthening, and inciting terror in Gaza, with a clear trend of connecting fronts.

However, the article contends that these claims in the lawsuit do not align with two facts: the Shin Bet's preparedness for the October 7th massacre and the findings of a report Bar himself published. The article suggests Bar is attempting to absolve himself of responsibility for the Shin Bet's failure to provide a warning for the massacre and for his inability to decipher the early signs.

Contrary to the lawsuit's claims, the Shin Bet's own internal report, published by Bar, states that Hamas launched a broad attack on October 7th at 6:29 AM that the Shin Bet did not identify, thus failing its mission. Bar's report details reasons for not providing a warning, including inadequate handling of intelligence on the "Jericho Wall" plan, gaps in intelligence processing, and operating outside standard procedures. The report also indicates an assessment that Hamas was focused on igniting unrest in the West Bank, not Gaza.

Bar's report further admits that the Shin Bet received Hamas's "Jericho Wall" attack plan in 2018 and 2022 but failed to process it as a specific threat, thus not presenting it as a future scenario to the political echelon. The article concludes by questioning why Bar, after publishing these findings, is now suing Netanyahu, alleging he provided warnings about Hamas and Gaza, while instead offering excuses for his failure to prevent the massacre.